1

LESSON PLAN

EOI VALENCIA: ENGLISH LEVEL B1

LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH

AUTOR:

BELÉN VERDE VALERO

 2

TOPIC: HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

AGE GROUP: NOT DEFINED

LEVEL: B1

TIME: 100 MINUTES

ENGLISH USED BY THE TEACHER: 20%

ENGLISH USED BY THE STUDENTS: 80%

1. OVERVIEW & PURPOSE

This lesson is about young people’s health and lifestyles. This is a very popular issue

nowadays since due to technologies many teenagers are becoming more and more

sedentary. Therefore, this unit is related to modern technologies, sports and the fitness

world. Apart from learning and focusing on new vocabulary, grammar, listening and

reading comprehension, the aim of this lesson would be to make students think about

their lifestyle and how their life has changed alarmingly because of the new

technological devices.

* If any of the students have health problems, it is necessary to adapt these materials

before using them.

2. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE NEEDED

They are required to know:

- The contents A2 level.

- Present past and future tenses.

- Basic vocabulary: sports, places, clothes and directions.

- Basic knowledge of modal verbs.

- Prepositions.
 3

- Linkers and useful expressions for a debate.

- How to structure a writing comprehension: introduction, arguments and

conclusion.

3. COMPETENCES:

- Learnt to learnt:

Students are able to work autonomously in multiple activities throughout the unit.

- Linguistic competence:

Students interact orally and in writing in several activities. Besides, they learn specific
vocabulary.

- Listening competence:
Students must guess throughout the context the meaning of some unfamiliar words and
understand the meaning of the phrase, if the issue is known.
Follow everyday conversations whenever interlocutors avoid very idiomatic usage and
speak out clearly, though in a real situation have to ask from time to time that you
repeat some words and phrases.
Understand simple information about events related to everyday topics.
Understand the main ideas of clear speech in standard language on questions.
Understand the content of almost all audio material recorded or broadcast on daily
issues, if the speech is slow and clear.
Capture the main ideas of programs broadcast on familiar topics or interest
staff, if the speech is slow and clear.

- Communicative competence:
To participate in talks exchanging information.
To communicate with reasonable fluency, a simple description of a variety of topics of
interest, presenting it as a linear sequence of elements.
Make brief statements tested on a relevant subject within their specialty which are
Clearly intelligible, although accompanied by an accent and intonation distinctly
foreign.
 4

- Reading competence:
Understand clear texts on subjects related to their fields of interest.
Find and understand the general information needed in everyday materials such as
letters, brochures and newspapers articles.

- Writing competence:
Write argumentative essays about daily life issues.
Write specific details such as percent and statistics about an specific issue.
Takes notes about collegues’ opinions
Put forward reasons about your opinions, plans and actions.

- Cultural competence:
Understand the culture of England asking some questions about a reading
comprehension.

4. AIMS

- To practise speaking skills

- To review vocabulary of fitness, lifestyle and health
- To practise reading skills
- To practise question formation
- To practise the reported speech
- To learn new vocabulary, as well as new structures
- To activate students’ critical thinking
- To develop their creativity
- To develop their communicative skills
- To discuss and agree on ideas for a fitness campaign

5. CONTENT

- Lifestyle, technology and heath

- From past to present generations

- Reported speech
 5

- Question formation

- Adverbs of frequency: never, always, ever…

6. SKILLS PRACTISED

- Listening
Students will practice this skills listening to the teacher and their classmates.

- Speaking
This is one of the most important skills students should develop since the students
talking time is 80%, the teacher is just a guide in their learning. Therefore, in all the
activities they will put into practice their oral skills. For example: they will answer
teacher questions, they will ask their partners, they will complete the brainstorming
exercise and they will debate. All in all, they will be all the class interacting.

- Reading
Pupils will practice their reading skills in the exercise in which they have to read the
reading comprehension and they will also have to check their parters’ answers.

- Writing
Writing skills will be put into practice in the majority of the exercises since they will
write questions, answers to the reading comprehension and they will have to write am
argumentative essay.

7. INTELLIGENCES DEVELOPPED

- Verbal/Linguistic: students will learn about new vocabulary, grammar, English

culture…
- Interpersonal: students will work in groups when doing the activities
- Intrapersonal: students will think on their own.
 6

8. LEARNING SKILLS DEVELOPED

- Lower order thinking (remember, understand, apply):

First of all students have to do some anchoring, that is, in order to understand the topic,
“what is a coach potato” students have to connect this issue with their previous learning
since they have to remember important vocabulary such as adjectives: lazy.
Furthermore, brainstorming is introduced in one activity because we want them to tell
us what they already know. Besides, in the reading comprehension and the debate
students will connect this topic with their own experience so that they realize that
history is not just the boring subject but something that affects and appears in their life.
Once they have understood the exercises by means of interpreting the concepts of the
activities, they will apply their knowledge and solve the activities.

- Higher order thinking (analyse, evaluate, critical/creative thinking):

When students understand the gist of the activities, they have to apply their previous
knowledge about the topic. Therefore, we put into practice chunking: once students are
familiar with the key concepts of the topic, they are able to make their own questions,
understand a text related with the issue. After that, they have to organize all this
information to perform the role-playing and write the composition, which is for
homework. Thus, they analyze and evaluate the activities so that they can put into
practice what they have learnt and complete the activities. After analyzing the exercises,
they have to compare their answers with the classmates. We should add that students
foster their creativity and logical thinking through all the activities since they have to
develop their ideas, relational links, they have to think flexibly and use memory.

- Values / Intercultural Education

The debate activity and Working in groups will help students to respect their
classmates’ opinions.
 7

9. MATERIALS:

General course book:

Internet links:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/ - site for younger students about kid’s health

http://www.livestrong.com/article/377585-a-healthy-lifestyle-for-teens/ - Livestrong

website for teens http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/negative-attitude-teens-

promotes-sedentary-2051425 - article about how negative attitudes to teens lead them to

a sedentary lifestyle.

10. EVALUATION CRITERIA

SPEAKING

The student can answer to the questions and ask in a clear way

The student can speak about daily issues providing their opinions and giving examples.

The student can speak fluency in a formal or informal register.

READING

The student can understand newspaper articles

The student can read simple texts successfully, find relevant information and answer to

the questions of the activities.

The student can identify the parts of the text.

 8

WRITING

The student can write clearly, answering to the question given

The student can apply the grammar and vocabulary of the unit.

The student can organize the writing with linkers and useful expressions.

LISTENING

The student can understand his classmates’ and teacher comments.

He respects his classmates, participate in class and keep a good attitude

during it.

11. TIMING

TASK 1 10 min

TASK 2 15 min

TASK 3 20 min

TASK 4 15 min

TASK 5 37 min

97 min taking into account that they will lose 3 min in sitting down and

opening their books.

 9

LESSON AND ACTIVITIES

FIRST TASK: APPEALING QUESTION.

¿what is a coach potato? Does anyone know what it means?

It is very important to catch the student’s attention throughout a question at the very

beginning of the lesson. Besides, it is a common issue and they may feel identified so

they are likely to be confident and take part in the following activities. The key of the

question is not provide them with the solution in Spanish, let them think about

synonyms related to the word “coach potato”, even some definitions and a ask them

directly… if they do not find out the solution, we will show them a representative

picture.

SECOND TASK: BRAINSTORMING

COUCH POTATO
 10

This activity may help students to review previous knowledge and come up with new
vocabulary, grammar, adjectives, and adverbials. It would be helpful for them since they
will learn all the words unconsciously and in a dynamic way. What we want with this
activity is to encourage students to think and give us the answers. This way, student
talking time will increase, while our talking time will decrease.

THIRD TASK READING

Read the text and answer the questions:

 How does your lifestyle compare to British teenagers?

 Are they more active than you?

A generation of couch potatoes

Lots of teenagers have posters of their sports hero on their bedroom wall. But do they follow the healthy

examples set by these athletes? British parents are worried that young people are not as fit and healthy as

in the past. Why is this?

According to the British Heart Foundation, 13 to 15 year olds are spending too much time doing

sedentary activities such as watching TV or playing computer games. A special report describes a

generation of couch potatoes, young people sitting around at home, growing up in their bedrooms,

travelling by car and in serious danger of heart disease as they get older. Is this their fault? Are young

people lazy?

Many parents don’t allow their children to play outside or walk to school by themselves. “I ring my Dad

on my mobile and he picks me up from the station. It’s 10 minutes’ walk from home but he thinks it is

dangerous,” says 14 year old Carrie. Some teenagers blame their over protective parents for making them

unfit. It is certainly becoming more difficult to encourage young people to have an active life and protect

their hearts. In recent years schools have spent less time on sports. “My Mum did lots of hockey and

netball at school but we didn’t have time for that this year because we had so many exams to prepare,”

says Ben, 16
 11

Before getting into the activity, we must lead in to this activity by using the examples in

the text: Are you allowed to walk back alone from school or stations? Were your

parents or grandparents allowed more freedom outside? Elicit examples round the class

for their grandparents before they work in pairs or groups, to read the text and answer

the questions.

Once they have answered the questions, they have to write the some of the sentence

from the text in reported speech: “I ring my Dad on my mobile and he picks me up from

the station. It’s 10 minutes’ walk from home but he thinks it is dangerous,”; “My Mum

did lots of hockey and netball at school but we didn’t have time for that this year

because we had so many exams to prepare,”

FOUR TASK: QUESTION FORMATION

Each pair has to create their own questions related to the text and ask other students:

How often do you….?, When was the last time you…? Elicit further examples and put

prompts on the board. Feed in more adverbs (sometimes, not often, hardly ever) and

practice time expressions like twice a week, once a month etc. Each pair can think of

one question.

Write your questions here:

 12

LAST TASK: DEBATE AND ROLE-PLAY.

- How does your lifestyle compare to your grandparents’ lives?

- Has anything changed? Discuss these topics:

 Transport  Diet  Home  Spare time activities  Physical activities

This task gets the students thinking about their lives and the lives of their grandparents.

We could start by using one of the headings and giving some examples about ourselves

and our grandparents. Then, get the students into small groups to continue the activity.

Finish with a role-play: one part of the class must be in favour of nowadays lifestyle and

the others must be in contrast; they should support their grandparents’ lifestyle. Once,

the have thought about the arguments, four members of each group must perform the

debate in front of the class. Before dividing the class into two groups, the lesson could

be based on this statement 'Our grandparents had better lives.' and see how many agree

or disagree. Depending on the answers, we can make the groups for the debate.

HOMEWORK: WRITING

Write an argumentative essay about how your lives have changed. You have to bear in

mind the following:

- Writing structure

- Linkers

- Cohesion and coherence

- Clear writing

- Common structures to demonstrate you are at the level.